Making Way for God Through the Trials We know what comfort feels like, but I think we truly know, feel, and remember every trial we have faced because those are the moments that shape us. Those trials reveal the areas in our lives where growth and change are needed. Life will always have trials and conflicts, but it’s how we handle them that reveals our growth and character. If you want to find out where your weaknesses are, just wait for a conflict or trial to arise. Isaiah

Fall On Your Knees It was about 2003, and I was going through a growing period in my walk with the Lord. I had rededicated my life back to God in 1999, this time with a full understanding of what that truly meant (I was 7 years old when I got saved). God saw where my heart was headed, what I was relying on, and what I was giving my attention to, and He took it away from me. I needed that jolt. It was through that stripping away of people and things that I found myself despera

Knowing God, Following His Instruction God’s righteousness refers to His perfect, holy nature and just actions. He is inherently good and faithful. God’s instruction — that is His Word and the guidance the Holy Spirit gives us. If God is righteous and good, then it makes sense that His instruction would guide us in the same direction. In being an ambassador of Christ, we need direction, so we know how to live that kind of life. When we look into the Word of God, we find that

Seek the Lord in Faith Through All Seasons and Reap the Harvest That is Coming I sought the Lord for Scripture for the week, and He gave me three. At first, I was trying to figure out how they even connected. So, I read each one along with the commentary in my study Bible… and they do, in fact, go together. They bring hope, they teach patience, and they show that seeking the Lord in all things through faith is what leads us to the reward — the Kingdom of Heaven. Those scriptu

Let God Speak The voices of this world are loud — and the loudest is usually our own. So often, we tell others to speak kindly to themselves. We encourage them, and we want them to encourage others. Yet minutes later, we can do something and speak to ourselves in a way we would never suggest to someone else — or even speak to someone else that way. I am guilty of this exact thing. I tell my kids to speak with kindness and not to talk down to themselves… but what I say and wha

God’s Plan We misstep. We make mistakes. But we are never out of God’s sight. Jeremian 29:11-13 - For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. God wants us to succeed. He wants us to live in His will and remember that no matter how we falter, He

Grace We are often so quick to give others grace, yet so hard on ourselves. We hold on to mistakes. We replay moments. We have full conversations in our heads. We wish we had done better or said something different. And through all of this, are we giving ourselves the same grace we would give someone else? Personally, I’m even quicker to forgive others than I am to forgive myself. Where did we learn this? This isn’t what the Bible teaches, nor is it how Jesus shows us we shou

Romans 12:2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” The book of Romans is so powerful, and much of it applies to how we are to walk with Christ. Paul holds nothing back when preaching the Gospel to anyone and everyone, and I love that about this part of the Bible. None of the apostles held back — they

Have any of you ever stolen something? I did… I was about 6 years old, and I was at Walmart with my mom. I remember seeing the single pieces of gum — the Super Bubble brand. When you chewed that gum, you practically broke your teeth trying to get it soft enough to enjoy. Well, I really wanted one, but I didn’t have the 25 cents it cost. Instead of asking my mom, I just slipped one into my pocket. I stole it… it was just the beginning of my rebellion — just kidding. I wasn’t t

Speak Out 2 Timothy 1:7-10 - "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord…. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. And now he

Why God’s Timing Is Worth the Wait That’s a great question — why is His timing worth the wait? I know that sometimes when weighing things out, I don’t find some things worth waiting for. Like, is it really worth waiting an hour and a half for a table at a restaurant? No, I don’t think so. Is it worth waiting for my package to be delivered next week when I can probably go to the store and get it tomorrow? No, I don’t think so. But is it worth it for me to wait to receive what

Nothing alienates us or makes us feel a certain way like making a mistake or thinking we’ve failed at something. Trust me, I know — no one beats me up more than I do when I make a mistake, fail, or think I’ve disappointed someone. For example, I was just on the Bible App website wanting to open the Bible section. I kept clicking “Bible,” wondering why the screen wasn’t changing… then I realized I was already on it. I sat there afterward thinking, oh my gosh, what is wrong wit

You See What You Get Have you ever met someone who is blunt and open, yet hard to read at the same time? Sometimes those people are honest and what you see is what you get, so they’re hard to read simply because there’s nothing lingering in the background. It’s all out front. I think this describes Jesus. He was blunt, honest, and open. He was transparent. He had no agenda other than doing God’s work. He was discerning, and He brought grace, mercy, and salvation through the c

In our minds, we can say we are willing, but when it comes down to it, is your heart willing? There is a parable about a rich young ruler coming to Jesus saying, “I have followed every law. What else do I need to do to follow you?” And Jesus says, “Give up all you have and follow me.” The young ruler was heartbroken; he couldn’t and didn’t want to give up all he had. This is being willing but not fully willing. I was reading Joshua 2 and came across an unlikely willing perso

“Pearls are formed when a natural or artificial irritant enters a mollusk (oyster or mussel), prompting it to secrete a protective, crystalline substance called nacre (a mixture of calcium carbonate and proteins) to coat the intruder. This layer-by-layer coating process, occurring over months or years, creates the lustrous gem, with cultured pearls involving human insertion of a nucleus.” — (Google info through AI) Isn’t that interesting? The process is much longer than I tho

Eight years ago, my dad passed away. Six years ago, my mom started having medical problems. It was a lot for me because I was the one taking all of this on. At one point, I thought I might be starting to have a mental breakdown because I was feeling stressed and helpless. I felt as though I just couldn’t catch up because I had a family to take care of as well. Everything felt heavy. But something happened. I suddenly realized how much I needed God to take things from me, and

Our Solution or His? Have you ever had a problem, and tried every solution you could think of to fix it, and then, as a last resort, asked God for help? We all have because we want to be the one to fix them. This is a simple example, but one time my mother-in-law misplaced her wallet. She looked everywhere and was convinced that she had left it somewhere, so she was going to call and cancel all her cards and get new ones issued. She let us know what was going on because she n

Hopeful Anticipation Hopeful anticipation — a seed of hope — something we are certain will happen because of faith. We come to know that this hope is true when we grow closer to God and when we trust in Him with all that we are. There is hopeful anticipation because we have a Father who loves us, knows us, and is always with us. We also have a little book called the Bible to help back up God’s promises, and through the history given, we know that God is the same yesterday, to

I cannot tell you how many times I was more willing to do something when someone wanted to guide me than when someone just told me what to do. This is human of us, right? We don’t like being told what to do, and when that does happen, we are more likely to become bitter and defiant. But if we are asked nicely and then guided, we will be more willing and obedient. Throughout the Bible, we read many passages where God and Jesus are very direct, but in that directness, there is

How Far Would You Be? This is something my dad would always jokingly ask. I would be walking away after a conversation, and he would call my name. I’d go back, and he’d smile and ask, “If I hadn’t called you back, how far would you be?” Let’s think about that question. If we started something today, how far would we be if we kept it up? When there is a new year, we often set new goals. These goals are ones that we either stick with, or they’re ones we start, get tired of, dec